First Session Video Glimpse – Part Two

We’re lucky again to have another video produced by Robbie Francis of FrancisFilmworks! Robbie visited camp again this week and spent the day filming, then worked his editing magic, and now we have this wonderful glimpse into camp life this session. The video does a lovely job depicting the mood at camp these days… so much action and so many happy girls!

Click below to watch the video…. and let us know what you think.

Relaxed Silliness

summer camp zipline girl

The Rockbrook zipline course is scenic, progressive in its challenges, and uniquely thrilling. It winds through the forest, with each zipline passing between huge boulders, among the trees, and even in front of a waterfall above the main part of camp (“Stick Biscuit Falls”). The whole zip line course takes about an hour to complete, and consists of three different zips and 3 different challenge bridges. The first zip is slower, easing the girls into the experience, while the last is an eye-popping, you-can’t-help-but-scream, adrenaline blast. It launches from a large rock face and goes almost 450 feet back into camp giving everyone on the hill a clear view of the fun. The girls wear a helmet and climbing harness tethered to a dual-wheel pulley with a steel backup clip. Launching on a zip and trusting the equipment can take some courage, but the immediate payoff is the exhilarating zoom through the air with arms waving triumphantly. We allow all the campers on the zipline course no matter how young. The Juniors love it too! Of course, it’s optional to sign up, but I’d say almost everyone decides to give it a try.

The Curosty cabin is a cozy, true log cabin at camp and is the home of our fiber arts activity. Inside you’ll find girls weaving on all sorts of looms, and on the back porch campers will be knitting, crocheting, and creating needlepoint design projects. Just behind the porch is a wonderful creek cascading its way over smooth boulders and making small pools of water after each drop. That makes this part of camp the perfect place for basket weaving. Soaking reeds becomes easy, and sitting on the rocks working the reeds into a woven basket shape is delightful. The sounds of the running creek, the sun and shade, and the surrounding forest add to the relaxing experience. It’s easy to imagine Rockbrook girls doing exactly that 100 years ago.

We took our cabin photos this week. The campers and counselors dress up in their red and white uniforms for a group photo. Together they decide where in camp they would like their picture taken. Some sit on the hill or the porch of a lodge, while others stand in a creek or arrange themselves near the lake. A popular spot is posing together around a lifeguard chair, for example. We take these photos in time for us to order a printed copy for everyone to receive on the closing day of camp. We also print on the photo the name of each person, making this a great memento for all the cabin groups this summer.

Finally, I wanted to share a couple of outtakes from the cabin photo sessions. Sometimes, these are hilarious and these two are particularly good. So silly, so goofy, so full of fun-loving kid energy, you have to love them. Camp friendships just inspire this kind of relaxed silliness, laughing so hard you just can’t stop. See if they make you smile too.

camp silly cabin group
camp cabin photo outtake

Being Marvelous

It’s pretty easy to spot kids being marvelous around here. It starts first thing in the morning and continues all day, long into the evening. While they bop here and there living their camp lives, being extraordinarily active, friendly, and joyful, they are a delight to encounter. They’re so positive and strong. They’re often talented, and always funny and chatty.

This morning for example, a group of girls and a couple of counselors appeared at the lake before breakfast, around 8am. Believe it or not, they were there to swim! An early morning swim like this we call a “polar bear.” The girls counted down— 3, 2, 1, “PolarBear!” —and jumped into the lake together screaming. With the air temperature about 60 degrees and the water not much warmer, it took real nerve to leap through the misty morning air and into the lake. But these girls were determined, and together they were all pulled along. Impressive!

It’s likewise wonderful to see campers figure things out while at camp. There are a lot of new things to encounter here. From the people they meet to the food they eat, what’s new becomes more familiar and often more easygoing as camp life unfolds. An activity that first feels frustrating, like learning to center a ball of clay on the wheel, can in time lead to a sense of accomplishment. It’s true for their relationships at camp too. With the passing days, the campers get to know each other more and trust each other more, knowing that the people here value who they really are. This makes it increasingly easy to make friends and grow deeper friendships. Especially for the older girls, there’s a “friendship-making muscle” that is happily exercised at camp. That is definitely marvelous.

Another example is how the campers inspire each other to be their best selves. Place kindness at the center of things, and wrap that in silly enthusiastic encouragement, and you’ll see an interesting sort of positivity. The girls are quick to laugh and be silly. They’re often singing together just because it feels good to do it. Even the 16-year-old girls will break out into song without prompting! Today during the surprise ice cream party— the Biltmore Train! —it wasn’t just eating ice cream; it was our entire community celebrating being at camp together. The party is “all you can eat” …as long as your single cone lasts. Eat the ice cream off your cone and head back for another scoop if you like. It’s sweet and messy, and good camp fun.

Finally, it’s marvelous how at this point in the session, the girls seem so comfortable. They’re now familiar with the rhythms of camp life, how to navigate the points of the day, how they like to spend their free time, and how camp feels really good. They simply know what to do and are happy to do it! They know the people and the places around camp better, and easily become part of it all, completely fitting in. Camp is their place, their special place.

As I wandered around on the hill after dinner (during our “twilight” free time), a 12-year-old camper came up to me, looked out across the hill where scores of girls were playing, and said, “Don’t you just love Rockbrook?” I had to stop, astonished by the comment, and look at her carefully before saying, “Yes. Yes, I do. There’s nothing quite like it.” She nodded, and strolled away soaking it all in. Truly marvelous.

camp kids hanging out

No Rewiring Here

I want to take a moment to discuss something I mentioned a few days ago— the notion that play is important at Rockbrook. In an earlier post, I described how activities at camp stress being playful (noncompetitive), how the culture of camp encourages friendly (kind and silly) relationships that promote play and community, and how the structure of our daily schedule provides significant blocks of free time for self-directed play. I also hinted that play is so fundamental to childhood, we risk our kid’s successful development if we don’t provide play as a regular part of their lives.

A new book by Jonathan Haidt makes this point by linking kids’ play and their mental well-being. The book is The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness (March, 2024). Haidt is a professor at NYU-Stern and is known for his 2018 best-selling book, The Coddling of the American Mind where he first notes the international trend of rising anxiety and depression among young people. In this new book, he digs deeper into this phenomenon and asks why it is happening.

He asks why, since 2010, have we seen in the U.S the prevalence of teen anxiety increase 134%, depression increase 106%, ADHD up 72%, Anorexia up %100? Why do these increases skew toward Gen Z (those born between the mid-to-late 1990s and the early 2010s) and away from those who are older? His thesis is in the title of the book. He claims that around 2010 we began a “great rewiring of childhood.” More specifically, this is when we, rather thoughtlessly, began moving away from a “play-based childhood” and toward a “phone-based childhood.”

Haidt points to several reasons for the decline of play among children. We have fewer communal spaces for kids. We spend most of our time isolated from other families, in our cars, in our homes. Parenting has become more paranoid as adults trust each other less, harbor (mostly unfounded) worries of abduction, and avoid the uncomfortable and risky aspects of the natural world. This “safetyism” has led us to spend most of our time inside and away from others. Consequently, most Gen-Z young people are having less “life experience,” things like getting a drivers license, having an after-school job, or even a dating relationship. For both parents and kids, a defensive mindset that’s always scanning for dangers is undermining (“destroying”?) our ability to play.

Unfortunately (“tragically”?), there is a ready substitute for play: the smartphone. As I’m sure you know, for most people today, a smartphone is their constant companion —never going anywhere without it— providing ready entertainment at the slightest hint of boredom. Instead of hanging out with friends and doing something together in the real world, our kids are more likely scrolling through social media, playing video games, or watching videos online alone. They’re spending, on average, 7-9 hours per day online, in many cases disrupting their sleep. Grabbing your phone is always easier and “safer” than doing something real with other people, but has our desire for convenience and safety narrowed our kid’s lives to what’s available on a screen?

The consequences of this behavior (“addiction”?) is certainly a worthwhile topic on its own, and there are others who are working to better understand how this phone-based childhood is affecting our developing young people. But Haidt believes it’s making a whole generation of young people more anxious, nervous, and ultimately unhappy. It at least seems clear that, especially for kids and perhaps us adults too, there is opportunity cost whenever we choose to pick up our phones. We could be playing!

Our kids could be exposed to the marvelous wonders of nature. They could be overcoming simple fears— which, by the way, means taking simple risks… like trying a new activity, or sampling a new food, or meeting a stranger. They could be making things, imagining, exploring, discovering what they’ve never experienced before. They could be laughing with friends, helping each other, teaming up to be even greater than they thought possible. They could be dressing up and being silly, singing and dancing, leaping at every chance to feel emotions. They could be finding out more about who they really are and becoming more confident expressing it. They could be having a lot more fun. You can see, moving away from a play-based childhood takes away a lot… All these and more!

There’s a question about what is worse, and what is contributing most to the rise of an “anxious generation.” Is it the decline of free play, and the benefits associated with play. Or is it the rise of time online (social media and screentime) and the costs associated with that? One thing seems certain, and this is Haidt’s main point, it’s a terrible trade to make, the benefits of one for the costs of the other. But that’s where we find ourselves these days, and our kids are suffering for it.

Fortunately, we have camp, the quintessential play-based environment. We have a place like Rockbrook that ditches devices and gets kids back outside, back in the real world doing things. We have a place that’s all about self-directed play and the glorious unpredictability of that. Yes, it’s a place where we might get a scrape or a bruise, but we’re going to do it with people who care about us. And we’ll be alright. We’re going to be stronger, more excited about things generally, and more attuned to what might be possible if we try. We’re going to grow closer to the people around us, not shrink away, afraid of what might happen. We’ll learn that being playful makes life more fun, rich with amazing details. Camp is powerful like this! And that’s why we all love it.

wide-eyed-laughter on rafting trip

People and Play

It’s not hard to imagine that we’re having a great time at camp. If you’ve been tabbing through the daily photo gallery, and if you watched the recent video, it’s clear. The girls— and I’d add also the staff —are having fun in so many ways. You can tell by the smiles, the laughter, and the excited cheers that erupt throughout the day. You can get a sense of it by seeing the sheer variety of things everyone is doing. In a single day, a camper can ride a horse, shoot an arrow, climb a tower, weave, swim, hike, sing, and many other specific activities. But the campers will also tell you that it’s fun to just be at camp. They value the periods of self-directed free time too, just like the activity time. Mealtime is fun, free swim is fun, and even getting ready for bed and waking up in the morning is fun in way.

How can this be? What’s different about camp that makes even ordinary times fun? I have two thoughts.

The first I mentioned earlier. A big reason life at camp is fun is because of the other people here, the other kids and the staff. You might say that without other friendly people at camp, what we do here wouldn’t measure up at all. We wouldn’t have people wanting to return year after year to shoot another arrow, or put on another costume, or sleep in a rustic cabin. Older campers will put it that way. They’ll tell you they come back to be with their friends. They come back for the people. And I think that’s because no matter what they’re doing, it’ll be great, if they have their camp friends to do it with.

summer camp yoga children laughing

To put that a little differently, it’s the relationships we have with each other that make a difference. The camp culture sets the tone for these by valuing kindness, caring, and respect. The Rockbrook community spirit is built on a philosophy of belonging, encouragement and cooperation —all pointing toward developing deeper more meaningful relationships. At camp, we’re not competing and we’re not judging or undermining anyone. Instead, we’re applauding each other for trying things. We’re supporting everyone around us. There’s a positivity to camp that helps everyone feel safe and valued. This encourages openness and a feeling of freedom to enjoy whatever we’re doing. It all comes from the genuine relationships we have with the kind people around us.

There’s another factor too, another characteristic of camp life that serves up so much fun. It’s Rockbrook’s emphasis on play. On the one hand, our daily schedule provides lots of free, unstructured time for the girls to play. Whether on the hill, or by the creek, or floating in the lake, the campers are playing— being social, being active and creative. They have the freedom for real-world play, for making things up, and open self-expression. Here too, having great friends to join makes it even more likely that kids will spontaneously play together if given the freedom (time, space and encouragement) to do so. It’s wonderful to see these Rockbrook girls relish the opportunities to play at camp.

summer camp girls playing tetherball

Rockbrook also promotes play at camp by injecting a little silliness into most things. We know that wearing a goofy hat to dinner makes it more fun. We know that the zanier the dance move, the more fun it will be. When we’re making things, the more imaginative it is the better. We foster exploration and experimentation, excited no matter what the outcome. We’re silly with the rules of the game— tennis with your non-dominant hand, climbing the tower blindfolded, gagaball with more than one ball —all for just the playful fun spirit of it. And when you’re not keeping score or competing (who cares who wins?), the play itself is intrinsically rewarding. This celebration of the silly helps us approach things playfully at Rockbrook.

I should add that the play we enjoy at camp, and the fun we experience while playing, is not just frivolous. There’s mounting evidence that the sort of play that camp provides is a fundamental aspect of childhood that contributes to social, emotional and even cognitive development. Removing the regular opportunity to play is largely detrimental for kids. There’s more to say about that later. For now, let’s appreciate the fun our kids have playing at camp. It’s a really great, and valuable thing.

summer camp dining hall group

First Session Video Glimpse

If you’re not here at Rockbrook, you can only imagine what camp life is like. You can’t feel the wind in your hair flying through the trees on the zipline or the thrill of splashing into the lake shooting down the waterslide, for example. You can’t taste the pumpkin chocolate chip muffins we enjoyed for our mid-morning muffin break, or sing at the top of your lungs about an Austrian who went yodeling. Camp life is just too rich to describe without actually experiencing it.

Fortunately, we can provide a glimpse into the fullness of camp life with video. We’re fortunate to have Robbie Francis of FrancisFilmworks again working with us this summer to produce short videos each session.  He was at camp this past week and now has produced his first edited short of 2024 ready for you to see.

Take a look! We think you’ll really enjoy watching.

P.S. Be sure to have the volume turned up. Hearing camp is amazing!

P.P.S. Did you notice that “share” button? 🙂

Rockbrook’s History

Nancy Barnum Clarke Carrier

If you look into the history of Rockbrook, you might be surprised. You probably know that it was founded in 1921 by Nancy Carrier on the property where she grew up. But did you know, for example, that she was the great-granddaughter of P.T. Barnum, the famous circus showman? Did you know that she was just 34 years old when she founded the camp, that she was a suffragette, and that she owned the camp until retiring in 1961? Nancy Barnum Clarke Carrier (her full name) was a true trailblazer. She helped found the southern section of the American Camping Association in 1923, serving as its President for the first 2 years. Later in life she was instrumental in starting the first public hospital in Brevard, and the Brevard Music Center. Inspirational and loved by so many, she lived until 1977.

Nancy Carrier established Rockbrook to create a special place for girls to gain independence, grow more confident and socially adept. She new that girls would learn and grow by doing things for themselves. Being someone who loved such things herself, she wanted girls to enjoy trying sports, exploring new outdoor adventures, riding horses, and working with arts and crafts. Nancy established many of the camp’s traditions and values that still define Rockbrook’s culture today. Her warm spirit set the tone for Rockbrook. Her kindness, caring and generosity formed the basis for the thriving camp community she created.

camp history book cover

To help celebrate Rockbrook’s centennial, current Director Sarah Carter and several alumnae wrote and published a book focused on the history of the camp: “In the Heart of a Wooded Mountain: Rockbrook Camp for Girls 1921-2021.” This is a wonderful summary of the spirit of the camp, the life and vision of Nancy Carrier, and the many people who have made Rockbrook a part of their lives. It is full of fascinating photos and personal testaments to why Rockbrook means so much to so many people. It’s a window into life at camp and the inspired power of Rockbrook girls through the years.

Now a new photo essay has just been published about the rich tradition of summer camps in western North Carolina, and Rockbrook is prominently featured. After reading a bit about Rockbrook’s history on our website, the magazine reached out for us to provide historic photos and other archival materials. In this collage from the article (below), you can see our big felt “R,” a photo of Rockbrook girls posing in front of the Carrier house, and at the bottom, a bit of the very first Rockbrook Camp application. The article includes short profiles of a few other western NC camps as well, including Camp Carolina.

I recommend you pick up a physical copy of the magazine if you can. It’s available at several stores here in western NC. The article is very nicely designed. If you can’t find a copy, head over to the WNC Magazine website, and you can read “Happy Campers.”

WNC Magazine collage

Too Much Fun

Is it possible to have too much fun? Well, for adults who have daily responsibilities and various “urgencies,” I can imagine that having nonstop fun would be a distraction, depending on what you mean by “fun.” If it’s thrills and excitement, or novel entertainment, or just pleasure without purpose, then yes, too much fun for most adults wouldn’t be recommended. But if fun means having moments of playfulness, the freedom to create, or that relaxed feeling of being absorbed in something recreational, then this sort of fun is, when you can find it, certainly a good thing.

For kids at camp, however, I think it’s a little different. Camp means taking a break from things, a break from the pressures of school, from the wildly rushed pace many kids endure, and yes from the orchestration parents ordinarily provide (almost constantly!). Camp means being given the freedom to try new things, to make countless decisions for yourself, and to slow down or speed up as needed. At camp, the many forms of fun are available everyday, and girls can enjoy as much of it as they like. And at camp, there’s something special here that makes almost everything more fun— it’s the people, the other kids and counselors who have the same mindset. “Let’s go! It’ll be fun!” Even if it’s doing cabin chores, singing a song, or jumping in the lake, it’s more fun together. Too much fun at camp? I don’t think it’s possible.

Two recent examples of this come to mind, and both happened on the same day. The first is the whitewater rafting trips we took with our Senior campers. With all 6 buses making the trip over to the Nantahala River, we took two trips, one in the morning and the other in the afternoon, enjoying the bumping and splashing of the rapids. Altogether, about 80 campers and counselors made their way down the 9-mile stretch of river on these trips.

girls rafting splash ride

Running the river is certainly thrilling, but when it’s in a raft of silly Rockbrook girls, it’s even better. Having a bunch of friends in the raft with you makes the songs louder, the poses for the camera goofier, and the shrieks laughter more hilarious when someone falls out of, or bounces back into the raft. These trips are big fun, and today the perfectly warm, sunny weather was a welcome boost.

The other example is the all-camp shaving cream fight and slip-n-slide (one naturally leads to the other!) we held after dinner. Here too, bringing all of these excited girls together made the whole event more fun for everyone. If you haven’t seen one these it goes like this. Show up wearing your swimsuit ready to get a little messy. Armed with a can of regular plain shaving cream, you then race around the field trying to spray the white slippery foam on your friends, which means anyone nearby. In all directions foam was flying! There’s something inherently hilarious about surprising someone with a handful of shaving cream splattered on their head or neck or just about anywhere. Squirt, splat, howl with laughter, and repeat.

It doesn’t take long before most everyone is covered with shaving cream, and in some cases completely covered. That too is simply funny to see. But the fun doesn’t stop there. There are hairstyles to form (mohawks seem popular), high fives and other tricks to perform. Girls drew letters in the foam, posed for photos and kept laughing the whole time. Meanwhile, our now slippery campers took turns sliding down a wet sheet of plastic, zooming on their bellies, here too, grinning all the way. Sounds like fun, right? It is! It’s the kind of excellent fun that’s hard to find anywhere else.

summer camp shaving creamed kids

Just Joyful Engagement

The first day of a session when the campers begin their activities is a marvelous example of camp life. Each camper has selected a different thing to do for each of the four scheduled activity periods: two in the morning and two in the afternoon. (By the way, that’s something to ask your camper in a letter or email— “What activities did you sign up for?”) If they are taking Horseback riding, the Riding Director has assigned them to a particular period, but all the others they fill based on their own preferences. You’ve probably seen the huge range of activities and maybe heard your camper talk about particular things they want to try. Our hope is that the girls try new things while they are at Rockbrook. And camp encourages that. When friends are signing up for climbing the Alpine tower, for example, you might join them even though you don’t think of yourself as being very adventurous. Or maybe taking Painting sounds a little scary since you may think “I’m no good at art,” but at camp we start with a spirit of exploration, of trying things just for the fun of it. And when you’ve got encouragement all around and kind friends sometimes literally “in the same boat,” a young person will grow from just taking that first step of trying a new experience. Being afraid of “I might not be good at tennis,” for example, can be a real limitation, but at camp we take care to create the conditions (caring and kindness all the way down) where girls have nothing to fear like that. No judgment, no competition, just joyful engagement.

camp archery lesson

The different age groups sign up for activities together, assuring that the Juniors are together when they take archery for example, likewise for the Middlers and Seniors. This allows the instructors to tailor their teaching to the level of experience of each group. We split and alternate which activities are available for each group. That means not all of the activities are available to every age group during each signup, but that’s why we split the week and sign up for a new set of activities every three days. We want to give each age group a fresh set of options during each rotation. It’s a little complicated, and they may not get their first choice each rotation, but over the course of the session, everyone will have a chance to try most all of the activities. This is also a great way to encourage each camper to spread out their schedule. They’re bound to experience a little adventure, some sports, and some crafts each day.

This way of selecting activities ensures that the campers can be with different people throughout the day. Since each individual camper selects her schedule, rather than as a cabin group (as is the case at some camps), everyone enjoys meeting new people when they’re stretching in a yoga session, learning to weave, or playing at the lake. It’s during the blocks of free time when this happens even between age groups. During the “First Free Swim” before lunch, the “Second Free Swim” before dinner, and the “Twilight” period after dinner the girls have more independence to decide what they would like to do, spending time with so many different friends.

Walk around camp and that’s what you’ll see— groups of campers deeply engaged in outdoor activities. You’ll see girls making things, being creative with their hands as they cut wood, work a needle and thread, or tie a white t-shirt ready for dyeing. Groups are zipping through the trees on our zipline course, while others are hiking up the steep trail to the top of Castle Rock. Others are playing gagaball, heading to the lake with their towels strung over shoulders, or perhaps loading up a van to find a waterfall in the nearby Pisgah Forest. In all of these examples and more, there’s an added thrill of togetherness making things more fun. That’s camp life— days filled with many many friends, many many activities, charged with laughter and excitement.

The best way to get a sense of all this action is to follow along in the daily photo gallery. If you haven’t seen it, login to your Campminder account. The “Login” link is at the top of every page on the Rockbrook website. Use the same email address you used to complete the pre-camp forms, and you’ll see an icon for “Photos.” We upload batches of photos, usually twice a day and sometimes more often. It’s great fun to login each day and scan through the newest galleries. So take a look and enjoy!

Summer Camp pals

Explosive Excitement

Welcome to camp! Welcome to the first day of the 2024 summer season at Rockbrook! For months now, all of us at Rockbrook have been working and planning for this day, just as all of the campers arriving today have been anticipating their time at camp. Our maintenance and housekeeping crews have been busily preparing the cabins and activity areas. The Rockbrook kitchen has been supplied and its equipment cleaned and inspected, with Rick and his team already producing meals. And our staff have just completed their week-long training, a progression of sessions covering health and safety, child development, activity instruction, insights into cabin life, and the particularities of the Rockbrook culture. It’s been a fun and informative week, helping all of us be ready for camp. And we are!

I think we can say the same thing about all the campers arriving today; they were ready too! They were bouncing up and down in the car during the checkin process. They were waving out the window, smiling the most eager and excited smiles you can imagine. It was wonderful to see that energy arriving all morning. When this pent-up excitement met the cheering counselors at the top of the hill, it was almost explosive. Cheers and hugs, more massive smiles and enthusiastic greetings, made the unloading even more festive. Cabin groups formed, and finally everyone was able to get started with what we’ve all been looking forward to.

summer camp first day

After arriving and meeting everyone, there’s immediately lots to do. Our luggage crews hurried to deliver all of the trunks and duffles to the right cabins while the campers went off to begin setting up there bunks. This is a fun activity for the girls as they work together to decide who is sleeping on which bunk. The counselors help everyone make beds and arrange trunks in the cabins, each camper creating a cozy and comfortable nook. Around 12:30 there’s an all camp assembly, so leading up to that the cabin groups play silly name games, take tours around camp, and, if there’s time, stop by the camp store to pick up their pre-ordered camp gear. It won’t be long until you’ll begin seeing those new pink sweatshirts and sweatpants around camp!

The assembly felt great, sitting on the grass under our prize walnut tree, and looking off toward the distant mountains. Perfect blue sky weather, with a nice low-humidity breeze, made it even better. Sarah introduced the other directors, Felix the camp dog, and our “camp moms” (Alumnae who come back to camp to help as needed). The Hi-Ups (10th grade campers) introduced themselves and taught a camp song to everyone. Each line (age group) took turns singing their line song, standing up and clapping along. Sarah took a few minutes to remind everyone of the camp boundaries and then demonstrated our lightning alert system so everyone knows to go inside when it detects lightning nearby.

After a very satisfying lunch of Rick’s homemade mac-n-cheese —The girls love its warm cheesy heft and crusty breadcrumb topping…. even the breadcrumbs are homemade! —the campers came down to the lake to demonstrate their swimming ability to the team of lifeguards. This was another celebration. Each camper that stepped out on the dock to jump in the lake heard cheers of encouragement from the directors, other campers and staff nearby. We like to say the Rockbrook lake is “refreshing,” especially on a nice summer day like today. The swimmers swim out and back, and then tread water for a minute. If they can do that confidently, they receive a blue wrist band qualifying them to swim in any section of the lake. Those with less confidence in their swimming have more restrictions (e.g., staying in the shallow part of the lake), but everyone can come and cool off in the lake while they’re at camp.

The girls learned about the activity options by watching the counselors put on a variety show of short skits and songs. We all gathered in the gym and learned about the many arts and crafts options, sports to play, and adventure options available. This is a great way to meet the counselors and learn about what the girls can sign up for. After dinner, they did just that; they signed up for their first set of 4 activities.

It’s been a powerful day where all of our anticipation turned into real enthusiasm. We’ve got a full camp of wonderful staff and great eager campers. Let’s get started!

summer camp kids group